Britain: An official handbook > 1959

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS
361
carrying out and encouraging measures for the development of civil aviation, for
the designing, development and production of civil aircraft, for the promotion of
safety and efficiency in the use thereof, and for research into questions relating to
air navigation’. The supervision of design, development and production of civil
aircraft has been delegated to the Ministry of Supply, which is also responsible for
the provision of all Service aircraft and carries on an extensive programme of
research and development to meet civil and Service needs. The Minister of Trans¬
port and Civil Aviation is specifically debarred from ‘producing’ aircraft and any
dealings he may have in aircraft, engines and equipment are subject to Treasury
approval.
In the international sphere, the Minister is responsible for participation in the
work of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) of the United
Nations and, with the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Relations Office, for
dealings with other countries in civil aviation matters. He also advises the Colonial
Office on civil aviation matters.
The Government’s relations with the air corporations and with the independent
operators are described on pp. 362-3. There are also three special bodies that
advise the Minister in the exercise of certain of his responsibilities: the Air Trans¬
port Advisory Council, the Air Registration Board and the Air Safety Board.
The Air Transport Advisory Council. The Council was established by the Civil
Aviation Act of 1946 primarily to bring to the Minister’s notice important repre¬
sentations from the public concerning any inadequacy in the services provided by
the Corporations. The Minister has also given the Council the task of considering
and making recommendations to him on applications from independent companies
to operate scheduled services as associates of one of the Corporations. Since the
Government’s decision in 1952 to increase the opportunities available to inde¬
pendent operators, this has provided most of the Council’s work.
The Air Registration Board. The Board is an independent non-profit-making
limited company to which the Minister has delegated certain functions relating to
the design, construction and maintenance of civil aircraft, and which advises him
on airworthiness matters. It was set up in 1937 and consists of 18 members, of
whom 16 represent the interests concerned with civil aviation and two are appointed
by the Minister. The work of the Board includes the investigation by its surveyors
of aircraft and their associated equipment for the purpose of making recommenda¬
tions to the Minister with regard to the issue and renewal of Certificates of Air¬
worthiness. It also undertakes the technical examination of aircraft maintenance
engineers, flight engineers and commercial pilots in relation to the issue of
appropriate licences.
The Air Safety Board. The Board is a standing advisory body of experts respon¬
sible to the Minister for keeping under continuous review the needs of safety in
British civil aviation and for recommending measures calculated to promote safety
in respect both of the operation of British civil aircraft throughout the world and
of the efficiency of the system of ground facilities provided for all civil aircraft
operating over the United Kingdom. In exercising his responsibility for safety, the
Minister, advised by the Board, regulates the operation of aircraft, the conditions
under which passengers and cargo may be carried, the licensing of flight crews,
the effectiveness of air traffic control and of navigational aids (see pp. 368-9).
The Corporations: Powers and Constitutions
The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was set up in 1939. The
Civil Aviation Act, 1946, created two additional public corporations: British
European Airways (BEA) to cover the United Kingdom and Europe, and British